Tony Yayo Wears a Wire

Right now, no TV show has more hip-hop cred than HBO’s "The Wire". And rightfully so. The ultra-gritty series is a terrifyingly realistic portrayal of the drug trade in Baltimore — a.k.a., "Bodymore, Murderland" — and does a phenomenal job of humanizing the pushers and cops who do battle on a daily basis. It’s pretty much Scarface set in the streets of modern-day "Bawlmer", meaning it’ll suck you in quicker than a line lost to Tony Montana’s right nostril.

Looking to pinch off the show’s stash, G-Unit’s Tony Yayo has one of the show’s more memorable characters — the nail-gun-toting hit-gal "Snoop" (Felicia Pearson) — guesting on the song and video (watch it here) for "It’s a Stickup". My take? Tip of the cap (fitted New Era O’s lid, if you don’ mind, hon’) to Yayo and Pearson for rising from the hardscrabble streets of Queens and Baltimore, respectively, to make it in rap and acting. But the song itself falls flat. Pearson actually doesn’t sound half-bad, but she doesn’t get enough time behind the mic, and Yayo can’t maintain the swagger he shows while ticking off his wish list of dead prezzies in the chorus. For diehard "Wire" fans only. Which means, naturally, this vid’ll get plenty of run.